8mm Forum: Eaton Optina Super 8, who made this fine projector?

This is topic Eaton Optina Super 8, who made this fine projector? in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Paul Robertson (Member # 6781) on January 04, 2019, 10:51 AM:

I have had this projector for a few years now but haven't used it yet and just pulled it out as a possible candidate for my telecine project. It came with my purchase of a Beaulieu 4008ZM2 at a local auction. It is very well made, mostly steel components, cast housing, not much plastic at all.

Just wondering if anyone recognizes it and who manufactured it, probably early 70's??

Cheers

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 04, 2019, 10:58 AM:

Internally it looks a lot like the Yelco P111B my son has.

It's like the same innards mounted on a different chassis.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on January 04, 2019, 11:31 AM:

I think Eaton was a Canadian company. A read one of their super 8 cameras was manufactures in Japan but that's all I know. Maybe all their products came from Japan ?

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on January 04, 2019, 03:08 PM:

Eaton was a Canadian department store so the projector would have been a badged product. It was sold 1970-71. The Yelco P111B was made in Japan by Yamawa in 1969-70. I have a projector sold by Boots (another store) which is very similar inside but, like the Yelco, mounted on a different chassis. The transformer, motor and fan are the same as those on my Sankyo Dualux 1000 so they must have been generic parts.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 04, 2019, 03:16 PM:

There are resemblances on the business side as well: For example both this ad the Yelco channel the film through a chute along the bottom edge that turns upward to the take-up reel at the very back corner of the machine. They both have this odd little lever which is also a film guide during rewind which I think is used to put the machine in still-frame mode. Also both have a supply spindle on an arm but the take-up spindle is mounted to the chassis.

I've heard these are well liked for telecine because of the continuously variable frame rate control.

Partial thumbs down here: the worst belt change I've ever done! (Seriously: I'm sure there are easier heart surgeries! [Wink]

)

You are lucky it showed up with the belts intact.

(Thumbs up: My kid enjoys it!)

Posted by Kev Morrison (Member # 6338) on January 04, 2019, 04:04 PM:

Steve,

I read your following comment, thought about it, and cracked up:

"Partial thumbs down here: the worst belt change I've ever done! (Seriously: I'm sure there are easier heart surgeries! [Wink] )".

All I could think of his a heart surgeon talking to his patient in Post-Op after surgery, saying "Well, once we opened you up, we found that your heart was actually OK, it just need a new belt. So, we upgraded it with the new O rings...".

Yeah, I know - weird sense of humor!
[Roll Eyes]

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on January 04, 2019, 06:09 PM:

Steve is right about the belts. I was given a badged version of this design. The drive belt had long gone but I found a replacement belt in the box still sealed in its packaging. My guess is that a previous owner had given up on trying to work out how to replace it. Getting the belt over the fan and onto the pulley on the motor drive shaft is easy enough. The only way to get that belt onto the pulley on the next driveshaft is to remove the screws holding the rear bracket and stretch the belt onto the shaft and then onto the pulley. After that, there's another belt to another driveshaft for the spindles. On my projector, this belt was made of some elasticated material and was in good condition so I left it alone. Replacing it would be a right pain I guess.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 04, 2019, 06:28 PM:

Yes, It's kind of like having to cut off your legs to put your pants on!

I got the new belts in the mail and set them aside for the weekend. I got home from work and found out my wife had bribed our son with the following promise:

"If you finish your schoolwork Daddy will fix your projector tonight!"

It was a long night.

(Since then I've learned this is called "being Voluntold"!)

A kind friend sent me a set of instructions to do this. I'm going to send them to be put in the Manual section.

Posted by Paul Robertson (Member # 6781) on January 04, 2019, 09:32 PM:

Thanks boys, really appreciate the info. Yes Eatons was a large Canadian retail store, similar to Sears but without the automotive and tool depts., shut down about 15 yrs ago. It sure looks well made, and yes the belt is fine on it, and I used the spare to get my Sankyo 1000 going and it works great also. I will look up the 2 projectors mentioned here. I would guess this could be made either in the US or Japan, can't find any country of origin on it anywhere. It doesn't really matter anyway, I was just curious which factory made it, so it's not a Beaulieu. [Roll Eyes]

Going to do a little research to find out what points need to be lubed, and where not to apply lube. I am sure some maintenance is required after 50 years.

Cheers

Posted by Nantawat Kittiwarakul (Member # 6050) on January 04, 2019, 10:52 PM:

NAIL IT. [Big Grin]

https://van-eck.net/itable.php?lang=en&size=0&cat=film&merk=61&type=Fujicascope%20M2

Posted by Paul Robertson (Member # 6781) on January 04, 2019, 11:23 PM:

WOW! Indeed you nailed it, good job. How the heck did you find that? Amazing. That is definitely it, just modified for North American power connection.

So after some research I found out that in 1966 it was released in Japan as Fuji's first single 8 projector, to go along with their new single 8 camera, same film as super 8 but in a vertical tandem cartridge. And in 1966 it was $159. That was probably a pretty good projector in it's day, and still looks great today.

Thank you again.

Posted by Nantawat Kittiwarakul (Member # 6050) on January 05, 2019, 01:43 AM:

My gut instinct told me that it must be Japanese-made machine by the "look" of its internal. And I faintly remembered that there's a certain model of Fujicascope projector with that unusual 2-shaft design.

And yes,if the belts snapped/stretched beyond usable it would be the end of its service life. What a b**ch design! [Eek!]

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on January 05, 2019, 04:56 AM:

The Fujicascope M2 projector was not made by Fuji, it was made by Yamawa who also made projectors for Yelco.

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on January 05, 2019, 07:04 AM:

Yanawa are still going strong producing precision-made taps, dies and drill bits for the metalworking industry. This might explain the build quality of the projectors they produced for others.

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